"No need to panic", according to their Secretary General

Members of the EFF have taken the fight against Listeriosis into their own hands, as party leadership called for followers to help stores remove all products that were linked to the spread of the disease.

The EFF issued a statement on Wednesday naming Shoprite, Woolworths and Pick n Pay as the stores who are still stocking the tainted goods. In fact, party spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi labelled Pick n Pay “arrogant” for “failing to take responsibility”.

What products are affected by Listeriosis?

The initial outbreak was traced back to Enterprise food and Rainbow chicken products. The main culprits are polony, viennas and frankfurters. Cold, “ready-to-eat” meats made by either company have been identified as potentially contaminated, too.

What are the EFF doing about Listeriosis?

We spoke to EFF Secretary General Godrich Gardee. He assured us that the only action his party are taking is in a peaceful and co-operative manner. He explained Julius Malema’s tweet a little more coherently and supported the commander-in-chief’s instructions.

“We have already started removing the products. What our people do is check the shelves for contraband, then ask the manager if they can help with the removal.”

“We are there to help, and want the management to get rid of it properly. Yes, we know the dangers of just ‘throwing away’ the food. That’s why we are asking the stores if we can help them do this.”

Gardee also told us that there is no plan for protest action. Not yet, anyway. He stated that the stores they have so far visited are co-operating, so there’s “no need to panic”.

The red berets are also calling on Pick n Pay and rival stores to refund people for the tainted products they’ve bought, regardless of whether they have a receipt for the purchase or not. Their statements asks the supermarket to “be noble, and accept no-one keeps receipts for food they’ve no intention of returning”.

Watch EFF members remove “Listeriosis” items:

Fighters in Kokstad removing #listeriosis products from the shelves in Shoprite